Garden of Hygge Styled shoot

So this May saw Bluebird put together a fresh, yet beautiful styled shoot in the quintessentially English village, Upton Grey.

By combining Hygge, a Danish word meaning cosy and togetherness and the 2017 trend of ‘Greenery’, we created a photoshoot that combined the freshness of botanicals and herbs with the cleanliness of Scandinavian styling. What better way to celebrate togetherness than sitting at a table and enjoying some amazing food in beautiful green surroundings?

I recruited some of the finest local and upcoming talent to participate and ensure every detail of this trend is captured. With the final photos representing a gorgeous twist on ‘The Garden of Hygge', a cosy outdoor setting.

Upton Grey village was truly the perfect spot for the shoot, it had so much green and some beautiful backdrops on offer, as well the stunning garden area of the Hoddington Arms, where we did our table and food styling.

Sophie Duckworth was our photographer, her style is capturing magical moments in natural light, which was a match made in heaven for this shoot. We were so lucky that we had great weather, as it had been raining all week, but our rain dancing clearly paid off so Sophie could get the great shots you see here.

The floral styling was a real focal point in all the pictures, with the bride carrying a stunning floral hoop featuring moss, olive, foliage, white sweet peas and nigella along with two stunning bouquets. One filled with scabious and roses adorned with gorgeous silk ribbon trailing behind. The other, with stunning whites including nigella, sweet peas, veronica, olive and lavender foliage. Hazel from Eden Blooms, encapsulated the vision to perfection!

For the brides attire, we teamed up with Belles Bridal and were able to use some beautiful pieces from some of their 2017/18 collections. The photos include a gorgeous lace long sleeve dress by Ellis Bridal, style 11482 and an open back lace short sleeve dress by Romantica of Devon, named Penelope. With both a relaxed boho up-do and a side fishtail plait and makeup to match from the ever talented Charlotte from Polka Dot hair and makeup, the brides look was very rustic but chic.

The tablescape was set in the gorgeous garden area of the Hoddington Arms, surrounded by so much foliage and a beautiful tree hanging over the table itself. From there we hung small glass globe tea light holders and white sweet peas. The table was totally rustic with no tablecloth or runner and we used both rustic benches and cross back wooden chairs for seating to create a really natural hygge vibe. It was dressed with grey plates with clear glass plates on top to give a different effect. There were grey linen napkins placed under the plates hanging down with copper cutlery either side. The table featured woods, glass, greens and a hint grey and copper. The glasses had a copper trim to match the cutlery. The candle sticks were a subtle grey bringing in the Scandinavian feel. Each setting featured a fresh pear tied with a simple white ribbon, holding a small name tag with beautiful calligraphy written guest names. Finally white fur rugs were strewn over a few chairs to add a cosy vibe to the whole setting.

The calligraphy for the shoot compliments the table and floral styling’s, featuring greens, coppers and white. It is fresh and zingy and we even had a wax stamp featuring a gorgeous tree to fit the theme.

Last but not least we created a styled food display with Jacaranda Catering, featuring gorgeous and colourful earthy salads and roasted beef and salmon. The colours were so vibrant but sat so beautifully amongst an abundance of herbs and rustic furniture, including a dresser and apple crates. This was featured inside an outdoor cabana with exposed brickwork and an old stove in the background, which we filled with logs to again bring in the cosy vibe. We created mood lighting with festoons hanging from the ceiling. There was a gorgeous urn filled with beautiful green and white foliage to bring that 'greenery' trend into the backdrop. Bringing the outdoors in!

It was an absolute please to work with such a great team of suppliers on this shoot and I think the pictures show how amazing they all are. We hope you love them as much as we do and that they can inspire you for your next event.

Garden of Hygge team:

Planning and styling: Bluebird Creative events

Photography: Sophie Duckworth

Flowers: Eden Blooms

Food: Jacaranda Catering

Hair and Makeup up: Polka Dot hair and makeup

Bridal Gowns: Belles Bridal

Crockery, glassware and chair hire: Couvert Hire

Decor pieces: The Packhouse

Lighting: Focus Lighting

Venue: The Hoddington Arms

Calligraphy: Judy Broad Calligraphy

Bluebird have been extremely lucky to have this shoot featured on 2 different wedding and events websites. Click on the links below to see what they said about it.

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